Not only will the Impact miss out on hoisting that trophy, they will probably be in a dogfight just to make the playoffs this season.

Inconsistent play has hampered the Impact and kept them near the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference for most of the year. The Impact simply have not been able to put together a positive stretch of games and make a serious push up in the standings. All is not lost as there are still plenty of points up for grabs before the team’s final league game on Oct. 22. But, with five of the next seven games on home soil, the drive has to begin soon.

The 2-1 loss to FC Dallas last Saturday at Saputo Stadium was the latest in a string of disappointing results for coach Mauro Biello and his troops. It was especially frustrating because it came on the back of a 2-1 victory at home against the Philadelphia Union and the hope was consistency would follow.

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Forward Michael Salazar has been an exception of late, registering three goals and an assist in three straight games. Blerim Dzemaili has also been playing his part, with four goals and four assists in nine games, and is an influential presence every match. And you can add Kyle Fisher as a player who fights to the bitter end each match.

But there is an elephant in the room. Salazar, 24, seems unable to play a full 90 minutes, as was the case against the Union (64 minutes) and Dallas (59 minutes). It’s the same issue we saw with forward Anthony Jackson-Hamel, 23, several weeks ago when he left a game early in the second half with leg cramps. And everyone knows of the fitness issues defender Victor Cabrera, 24, who suffers from cramps on a regular basis. At the midway point of a season, young players should be fit enough to play two full games. Unfit players force the coach to make substitutions that have nothing to do with tactical adjustments.

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Are the players not looking after themselves off the field? Are the team’s trainers not able to get the players to the level of fitness needed? It’s one or the other and the problem needs to be fixed without delay, because there is no sense in players getting fit at the end of a season when the team is eliminated from playoff contention as a result of their lack of fitness during the season when it mattered most.

The Impact’s next challenge comes in the form of the New York Red Bulls and former coach Jesse Marsch on Saturday (7:30 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN 690 radio) at Red Bull Arena. All-star Ignacio Piatti has returned from a three-week injury layoff, captain Patrice Bernier is also back in the fold and the team’s defensive leader, Laurent Ciman, got a rest against Dallas and should be hungry to get back on the pitch. The Impact will need all hands on deck if they are to travel to N.Y. and come home with points. The Red Bulls are coming off a big 3-0 victory over Minnesota last Saturday when Marsch deployed what seemed to be a fearless 1-3-4-3 formation on the road.

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But the biggest challenge for the Impact might actually be the one against themselves. Coach Biello might not want to put out a back four that is without a clear leader, as was the case against Dallas with Ciman on the bench and Hassoun Camara in street clothes. The young back four was disorganized against Dallas and will be easy pickings for N.Y. if things aren’t shored up on Saturday.

Additionally, the play of Dzemaili has been as expected, with the Swiss international contributing heavily in attack. But his minimal defensive responsibilities create a problem in midfield, in part because Piatti also has the freedom to not chase too rigorously on the defensive side. When you add the centre forward into that mix, all of a sudden there are three players who don’t need to defend from the first line of defence up top. The team has looked out of sorts as a defensive unit, but it’s as much of a collective defending issue as it is an individual problem.

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Regardless of the grim outlook, the addition of defenders Deian Boldor from Bologna FC and Gold Cup finalist Shaun Francis of Jamaica gives the Impact more than enough quality to improve things defensively. Coupled with an attack that has the likes of Piatti, Ballou Tabla, Dzemaili, and the red-hot Salazar, it all comes down to application and commitment as a group. But it all has to happen now, because time is not on the Impact’s side.

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